This invention relates to a motor vehicle having an at least partially retractable roof and, more particularly, to a motor vehicle which includes an at least partially retractable roof and a rear seat area provided with a seat arrangement. The rear seat area is to be used as a storage space into which the retractable roof can be moved from above, whereby occupying the rear seats only becomes possible when the roof is closed.
A motor vehicle of the type described above is known, for example, from German Patent document DE 33 17 603 A1. However, it is a disadvantage of this motor vehicle that a sufficient amount of space must be provided in the rear seat area to permit housing the retracted roof without any problems. This therefore considerably limits the constructive freedom in the designing of the rear seat area and the roof, and makes a space-saving measurement concept in the rear seat area hardly possible.
There is therefore needed a motor vehicle of the above-mentioned type that provides a larger constructive freedom in designing the rear seat area and a correspondingly coordinated roof.
According to the present invention, these needs are met by a motor vehicle which includes an at least partially retractable roof and a rear seat area provided with a seat arrangement. The rear seat area is to be used as a storage space into which the retractable roof can be moved from above, whereby occupying the rear seats only becomes possible when the roof is closed. A portion of the seat arrangement, i.e., the rear seat bench, can be displaced from an in-use position which in areas obstructs the storage space of the roof into a not-in-use position which exposes the space, thus allowing the lowering of the roof.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that a seat backrest part of the seat arrangement can be folded down onto a seat cushion part situated in front thereof.
It is also advantageous that, when the seat parts are folded above one another, the seat arrangement can be folded into a steeply upright position behind the seat backrests of the front seats.
A still further advantage according to the present invention provides a through-loading opening to a trunk portion via the forward folding of the seat backrest part located in front of the trunk portion.
Yet another advantage of the present invention provides the seat arrangement with an assigned headrest arrangement. Each headrest of the headrest arrangement is coupled with respect to motion with the roof via an arrangement in the rear wall area of the roof.
Yet another advantage of the present invention provides the roof as a folding roof composed of two firm roof shells, a forward roof shell being connected with a rearward roof shell in an articulated manner. The rearward roof shell can be folded down and lowered into the storage space in such a manner that the forward roof shell, positively connected to the rearward roof shell, can be lowered into a deposited position which largely covers the opening of the storage space.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.